Matt Barnes To The Lakers On Instagram: Your Run Is Over

With sports, it’s nearly impossible to predict the future. You can play the odds and percentages, look at rosters and coaches, and take a look at historical trends — but the best anyone can muster up is a prediction. However, for every educated guess, there is a team, player, or breakthrough in strategy that boosts a team expected to live in the basement standings past the team expected to win it all.

This year is no different. Looking at the Clippers roster, they pass almost every eye test. They were a phenomenal team last season, and look as if they could be even better this season with the shooters they added to their bench. They’ll likely finish with a better record than the Lakers, and it looks as if a year atop the divisional standings is getting to their head.

Although Barnes wasn’t totally off in his post, one particular passage from his comment stood out. “Your run is over, 16 titles is amazing & the Clippers may never surpass that, but like I said, stop living in the past[sic].”

If you look at all of the numbers and the respective roster for each organization, the Clippers are clearly the better team this season, but again, for every educated guess, there is an unexpected surprise. That unexpected surprise may not be the Lakers this season; in fact, you should bet against it. But in sports, and especially basketball, we won’t know if the run is up until the season’s been played out.